Whitman College
Whitman College is an independent, co-educational, non-sectarian residential liberal arts and sciences undergraduate college in Walla Walla, Washington. The college is located in the heart of the city, in southeastern Walla Walla County of Washington State, two-and-a-half hours from Spokane, four hours from Portland, and 4.5 hours from Seattle by car.
Whitman College is a nationally ranked liberal arts school and considered the best liberal arts school in the Pacific Northwest. Situated on a charming campus surrounded by wheat fields and wineries, Whitman College offers a challenging educational experience with a 10 to 1 student to faculty ratio and few teaching assistants, allowing for direct access to faculty. Additionally, the college boasts the highest graduation rate in the Northwest, the largest endowment-and-trust-funds per student and the highest alumni participation in its annual fund.
History
In 1836, a few miles from the current city of Walla Walla, Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa established a medical mission and a school to serve the Cayuse Indians and immigrants on the Oregon Trail. After Indians killed the Whitmans 1847, Rev. Cushing Eells resolved to establish a school in the Whitmans' honor. The Washington Territorial Legislature granted a charter to Whitman Seminary on December 20, 1859. On November 28, 1883, the legislature issued a new charter, changing the seminary into a four-year, degree-granting college.
From its beginning, Whitman College has prized its independence from sectarian and political control. Whitman has remained small in order to facilitate the close faculty-student interaction that is essential to exceptional higher education. In 1913, Whitman became the first college or university in the nation to require undergraduate students to complete comprehensive oral and written examinations in their major fields. The installation of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter in 1919, the first for any Northwest college, marked Whitman's growing reputation.
Campus
Even though Walla Walla is located on the edge of the Eastern Washington desert, the 78-acre park-like campus includes streams, beautiful landscaping, record holding trees and numerous outdoor sculptures. Boyer Avenue divides the core campus area with most dormitories and special interest houses to the south of the avenue and academic buildings to the north between Boyer Ave. and Isaacs Ave. Academic facilities surround Ankeny Field and the field provides a social focal point for the school.
Five women’s sororities are housed in the Prentiss Hall school dormitory and five men's fraternities are housed in fraternity houses north of Isaacs Ave. Downtown Walla Walla is a few blocks to the west of the campus. The college also has other land holdings outside the main campus area, many of which are used for academic and social retreats.
The outlaying areas are known for natural springs, rolling wheat fields, wineries and other agricultural features.
Most dormitories date to the early 1900’s and are of classical architectural design. About 70% of the study body reside in school housing. Academic facilities are newer and of more modern design.
Whitman College Johnston Wilderness Campus
Academics
About 1450 undergraduate students are enrolled in Whitman College, 56% female to 44% male. School life is notable in the high percentage of students in fraternities and sororities. Many student activities focus on sports, both varsity and club sports. Special interest housing for language program students enhance the linguistic academic experience.
The college offers approximately 40 fields of study for bachelors of arts or science degrees. There are also approximately 10 additional areas that offer minor studies.
Degrees are awarded after successful written and oral defense of a thesis.
University Leadership
Whitman College is governed by Trustees in conjunction with a college President, Overseers and Alumni Board.
Trustees
- John C. Coleman, Jr., Napa, CA
- William K. Deshler, Portland, OR
- Lawrence Drake, Convent Station, NJ
- Nancy Bell Evans, Seattle, WA
- Karen E. Glover, Seattle, WA - Chair
- James K. Hayner, Walla Walla, WA
- Richard E. Hunter, La Jolla, CA
- Kristine Johnson, San Francisco, CA
- Valerie Logan Hood, Seattle, WA
- Thomas H. McCracken, Seattle, WA
- Michael C. Murr, Rye, NY
- Ralph C. Rittenour, Jr., Portland, OR
- James L. Robart, Seattle, WA
- John W. Stanton, Bellevue, WA
- Peter H. van Oppen, Mercer Island, WA
- Elizabeth Main Welty, Spokane, WA
- David W. Wyckoff, Grandview, WA
Presidents
- Alexander J. Anderson 1882-1891
- James F. Eaton in 1891-1894
- Stephen B. L. Penrose 1894-1934
- Rudolf A. Clemen, 1934-1936
- Walter Andrew Bratton, 1936-1942
- Winslow S. Anderson, 1942-1948
- Chester C. Maxey 1948- 1959
- Louis B. Perry 1959-1967
- Donald Sheehan, 1968-1974
- Robert Allen Skotheim 1975-1988
- David Evans Maxwell, 1989-1993
- Thomas E. Cronin 1993-present
Overseers
- Terry P. Abeyta, Yakima, WA
- Nancy Bratton Anderson, Olympia, WA
- Vojislav Andjelkovic, Wilton, CT
- Darrell W. Baggs, Menlo Park, CA
- Nancy Burton, Lake Forest Park, WA - Chair
- John D. Cadigan, Cashmere, WA
- Joseph C. Davis, Potomac, MD
- Andrew U. Ferrari, Winchester, VA
- John J. Flaherty, Bellevue, WA
- H. Graham Gaiser, Bellevue, WA
- Julie A. Gaisford, Seattle, WA
- Lewis J. Hale, Seattle, WA
- Anna Hernandez, Oakland, CA
- Robert F. Hidaka, Glendale, AZ
- Kay Hodge, Boston, MA
- Richard A. Johnsen, Issaquah, WA
- Gordon Keane, Jr., Portland, OR
- Michelle N. Keith, Dallas, TX
- Fred J. Kimball, Walla Walla, WA
- C. Nola Kulig, Longmeadow, MA
- Sally Landauer, Portland, OR
- Leigh Ann Lucero, Seattle, WA
- Michael J. Mahoney, Hillsborough, CA
- F. James McCarthy, Walla Walla, WA
- Alexander C. McGregor, Pullman, WA
- Bradley M. McMurchie, Portland, OR
- Mary V. Metastasio, Seattle, WA
- Sarah Michelson, Walla Walla, WA
- Lynn Mickelson, Glen Allen, VA
- Esther Milnes, Chatham, NJ
- James R. Moore, Salt Lake City, UT
- William R. Neff, Greenwood Village, CO
- D. Peter Newland, Everett, WA
- Dean Allen Nichols, Woodway, WA - Chair Elect
- Robert V. Pennington, Darien, CT
- Michael W. Phillips, Rancho Santa Fe, CA
- Marc Pitre, Culver City, CA
- Wilber E. Pribilsky, Walla Walla, WA
- Jerry Purcell, Ph.D., Long Beach, CA
- Rand L. Rosenberg, Del Mar, CA
- Charles Rosenberry, Vashon, WA
- Michelle A. Rubesch, Seattle, WA
- Stephen P. Sander, Seattle, WA
- M. Denise Savoie, Palo Alto, CA
- Mary Jane Shea, Spokane, WA
- E. Michael Stipe, Hermiston, OR
- Norman H. Swick, Seattle, WA
- Denise Tabbutt, Seattle, WA
- John R. Valaas, Medina, WA
- David M. Valdez, New York, NY
- Tom Whittaker, Wilsonville, OR
Alumni Board
- Nina Beegle, Spokane, WA
- Linda Brewer, San Francisco, CA
- Susan E. Buxton, Boise, ID - President
- Theodora Geokezas, Seattle, WA
- Cara K. Haskey, Seattle, WA
- Deanna P. Laidler, Portland, OR
- Sara C. Lindsley, Eugene, OR
- Charles P. Nelson, Highlands Ranch, CO
- Susan Pratt, Tacoma, WA
- Robert E. Simison, Arlington, VA
- Elmer C. Wagner, Lacey, WA
- Sarah O. Wang, Honolulu, HI - Vice Chair
- Catherine Williams, Auburn, WA
Notable Whitman alumni
- 1920 - William O. Douglas, English-Economics, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
- 1922 - Ralph Cordiner, Economics-Political Science, CEO and Chairman, General Electric, Corp.
- 1924 - Walter Brattain, Physics, Physicist, Nobel Prize Winner
- 1951 - Adam West, English, Actor, Batman
- 1970 - Matt Ames, Chemistry, Director of Research, Mayo Clinic
- 1971 - Ryan Crocker, English, US Ambassador to Afghanistan
- 1971 - John Markoff, Journalist, New York Times writer and author Takedown
- 1977 - John Stanton, B.A. Political Science, Founder and CEO, Western Wireless
- 1997 - [Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger], B.A. Geology, NASA Astronaut Candidate
Whiman athletics
Whitman holds membership in the NCAA (Div. III) and the Northwest Conference. Nine varsity teams for men and nine for women. More than 70 percent of the student body participates in intramural sports; more than 20 percent participate in a varsity sport.